


To Love

by ourdreamsrealized



Category: Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Comics), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Comedy, Comfort/Angst, Drama, F/M, Family, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Mild Gore, Mild Language, Not Suitable/Safe For Work, Pining, Reader-Insert, Romance, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Strangers to Lovers, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2020-01-05 12:27:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18366005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ourdreamsrealized/pseuds/ourdreamsrealized
Summary: When you meet Thor for the first time, he’s a happy-go-lucky hero in need of your help, but as more chance meetings happen and a relationship begins to blossom between the two of you, you begin to realize that there is a lot more to this amazing man than meets the eye.





	1. To Love a Hero

**Author's Note:**

> Posting stuff from my Tumblr. Enjoy!

The first time you met Thor was during the Battle of New York City.

You were in your last year of college, working towards graduating with a Bachelors in Science of Nursing and a minor in mythology. Now, one would wonder how the two fit together, and the truth of the matter was they did not. You enjoyed being a nurse, caring for people and learning about the human body, but mythology, particularly Norse mythology, had intrigued you since you were a young girl. Stories of King Odin’s conquests, his children, and the people of Asgard were things you treasured, and each time you re-read one of the ancient tales, you discovered something new.

Minoring in mythology also gave you the chance to meet many different people, as many different majors decided to take classes in the field. You had made a few good friends in these classes, and it just so happened that one of them had an apartment in the city. Classes were winding down, and the lot of you only had a few finals, none really worth worrying too much over, so you all decided to stay in the city for a long weekend.

The apartment was gorgeous, a penthouse suite, which your friend whose family owned the place, had failed to mention. Needless to say, you spent most of your time while in the place trying to keep it clean.

You were one of the first to arrive, your last class being Wednesday, May 2nd, so you headed into the city after it, car already packed. You settled in, bought some groceries from a local farmer’s market, and made yourself some dinner. Heather and Jamie, who came earlier in the day, left a note for you on the counter, letting you know that the small room in the back was yours for the weekend and that they were going to be out for the evening.

Knowing Heather, she wouldn’t be back the next day. Her boyfriend lived in the city, so she would probably spend most of her time with him.

Honestly, you and Heather weren’t really close, so you didn’t really mind her absence. Jamie was the one who offered to share her family’s place with you, and she was much less moody. She was your closest friend in the group; she was a very go-with-the-flow kind of gal, and you loved her to pieces for it.

Thursday brought one of your other mythology friends, Anna. She was similar to Jamie in a lot of ways, so the three of you had a lot of fun staying in and watching a few movies.

Friday started normally; well, as normal as a day could be for a college girl staying in a New York City penthouse. You went out after sleeping in to get some more groceries from that farmer’s market, and you also did some window shopping. You had asked if Jamie and Anna wanted to join you, but Jamie liked to sleep in well passed twelve while Anna wanted to use the time to study a bit for her upcoming exams.

So, you were wandering down the street by yourself, making your way towards the farmer’s market, your hands on the faux leather strap of your satchel, when the skies opened up.

You paused, eyes fixed on the spectacle above you. A high-pitched cry came from the hole above Stark’s tower, and you watched with bated breath as figures entered New York City from the sky. Around you, people who had also frozen in the middle of their day-to-day lives, began to run, some screaming as they did. Others asked questions, wondering what was going on.

“It’s the end of the world!” Someone exclaimed, making many others scatter.

You? For some reason, you could not will yourself to move. Your mind was racing, trying to figure out if this was real or some weird dream you were experiencing a little too thoroughly.

“Look! It’s Iron Man!”

You turned your head, seeing that it was indeed him, flying around up there and blasting whatever those creatures were out of the air. But some still got through, despite his best efforts, and blue blasts hit the streets, turning over cars, causing explosions and fires.

And they were close. Too close.

You forced yourself from your spot, taking off with many others to avoid the destruction. You took cover under a table at a nearby café, and others had the same idea, including a couple of waiters and hungry patrons. Cabs stopped nearby, their occupants joining you or fleeing into the alleyways between buildings.

One particular blast had you gasping for air, dust and rubble flying around you. You coughed, quickly moving to cover your mouth with your forearm.

An agonized scream from the table next to you had you opening your eyes, trying to makeout the figure. The man was on his back, holding his leg to his chest, blood oozing out between his fingers.

Without much thought about it, you crawled over to him, grateful that you had worn jeans despite the warmth of the day, and put a hand on a shoulder. “What happened?”

“Glass…from a cab window,” he hissed between clenched teeth. He grunted, shifting his leg a bit for you to look at it better.

You lifted his hands from the appendage, studying the wound as it came into view. Luckily, it was a rather large piece of glass that was lodged, making it easier for you to pull it out carefully rather than go looking for a knife to help you cut it out. Tears streamed down his dirt-stained face as you quickly pulled the jagged piece from his skin and put it off to the side. You then took out the travel-sized alcohol rub that you always carried in your purse. You put some on your hands, ignoring a loud crash that came from beside you. “This is going to sting…a lot,” you quickly explained before squirting some of the clear liquid on a tissue from your bag.

You blotted the wound, the man sucking in a breath as he squeezed his eyes tight. You handed him some more tissues, asking him to keep pressure on it. “You’re going to need stitches…”

He nodded, swallowing thickly, “Thanks…”

You gave him a small smile, then turned at the sound of thunder, your eyes moving to the sky to see…a man?

He was lofty, with broad shoulders and thick arms, and his armor made him appear even more intimidating. A hammer was in his right hand, his large fingers wrapped around a string on its handle as he slowly descended. When his feet touched the ground, he caught the weapon, electric blue eyes finding yours. “Are you alright?”

His deep voice took you by surprise for some reason. Of course, you expected him to have a baritone, considering his formidable appearance, but not quite this…smooth?

“Who are you?” you found yourself asking instead of answering. You stood slowly, dusting yourself off.

“I am Thor, Son of Odin.” His lips curved into a proud smirk as he said this, while you were still trying to process who he claimed to be.

Thor? As in, the god of thunder? You have read many of his stories, known of his stubbornness and prowess. But this man could not be him, could he?

Well, he did look like he just stepped out of a viking movie, with the plates of metal that covered his muscular form and his long, golden locks. Your stare moved to the hammer in his hand. It did appear as Mjolnir did in many drawings you had studied of the legendary weapon.

“And who are you?” he asked, stepping towards you.

“I’m Y/N,” you answered, blinking as he wrapped an arm about your waist. “Um…what are you doing?”

“I saw you give aid to that man. I could use your skill with others,” was the explanation you got before shooting up into the air.

A yelp escaped your lips as you frantically clawed at him, eventually managing to hold onto his neck, your face buried into his chest, which shook with a low chuckle. You glared up at him, but it did not clear the amused look from his face. “You are angry? I thought you would have been freaking out by now.”

He brought up an excellent point, but you just saw a bunch of weird, alien-looking things come from a large hole in the sky. Now a very attractive man, claiming to be a god, was flying with you in his arms? Things could be worse for you.

“Who said I’m not freaking out?” you asked, peering up at him and earning you another hearty laugh.

Moments later, the two of you were on the pavement again, and you realized just how you had taken having your feet planted firmly on the ground for granted.

This part of the city had seen a worse attack, and you saw a child and a woman, you assumed to be his mother, hiding behind a parked cab, with various superficial cuts on their faces, all bleeding a bit.

“I will go find more victims and bring them to you,” Thor stated, getting ready to take off again, but you stopped him.

“You shouldn’t bring them to me. A hospital would be better. I can only do so much with a purell bottle and a travel pack of tissues.”

Thor considered your words for a moment before nodding, “Alright. Then I shall bring you with me for emergency purposes.”

“As I said–”

“But what if you could lessen the damage?”

His question had you swallowing whatever words you were originally going to say because, frankly, he did have a point. It might be better for you to stabilize or at least make it easier for some of these people to travel to a hospital.

“Alright,” you nodded before turning to the mother and child.

After removing a few shards of glass and cleaning them up a bit, Thor took you to a few other places in the surrounding area. He also would leave you for a few moments, taking very serious cases to the nearby hospital, before zooming back to your side.

“It is over,” he remarked after one longer trip, his eyes on the now spotless, blue sky above Stark tower. He turned to you, taking your hand in his and leaning down to brush his soft lips against your knuckles. “Thank you, Y/N. Your help is greatly appreciated.”

You felt your cheeks warm at his heartfelt comments. “It was no trouble, but how about I take a look at your shoulder before you get going?”

His brows rose high on his forehead as he straightened. “How did you…?”

“You are favoring your left side.”

Thor smiled sheepishly. “You’re quite observant, a good trait for a healer, but I must go. I have to take my brother home to Asgard.”

“Brother?” As far as you knew, Thor had no blood brothers…

“Loki,” he replied, lifting his hammer. “He is the cause of this.”

The God of Mischief? Well, considering his history, you supposed the god would have some issues. Honestly, you had always felt bad for him, considering how Odin would treat him sometimes.

“Ok. At least have someone look at it,” you said, glancing at his shoulder.

His smile was pure sunlight. “I will.” His thumb caressed the back of your hand before he let go of it. “Thank you, again. I won’t forget how you have helped this day.” And those were his last words to you before he disappeared.

You fisted the hand he had held, trying to calm your fast-beating heart, before taking your phone from your satchel’s back pocket. After such a disaster, you had several calls to make, but everytime you mentioned Thor to the person on the other end, you were unable to fight the sudden curve to your lips.

It would take you years to realize that the feeling was the beginnings of love.


	2. To Love a God

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you meet Thor for the first time, he’s a happy-go-lucky hero in need of your help, but as more chance meetings happen and a relationship begins to blossom between the two of you, you begin to realize that there is a lot more to this amazing man than meets the eye.

“Y/N!” You looked up from the file in your hands when you heard the sound of your name. “It is so good to see you again!”

“Thor?” Your eyes widened as you took in his form. He was wearing normal clothing, not the suit of armor he had on when you first met. He looked good in street clothes, a forest green hoodie and dark blue jeans.

“Stark mentioned that you worked for us now,” he stated, stopping in front of you with a larger-than-life grin.

You lifted a brow, smirking at him. “I don’t work for you guys. I work for S.H.I.E.L.D. Helen Cho is my boss.”

“Even so, we will be working together from now on.”

“On occasion.” You nodded, turning your back to him and gesturing to the paper-covered exam table. “Mind sitting for me?”

“Okay…” He moved over to the surface, doing as you asked. “You are doing well, it seems.”

“Quite well. I’ve been working for Helen since the Battle of New York, after you put in a good word for me. Thanks for that, by the way,” You walked over to him, unfolding the blood pressure cuff. “Mind taking your shirt off for me, Thor? It’ll make my job a lot easier.”

“It was no trouble.” He shot a flirtatious look your way that made you roll your eyes before he folded his arms into the fabric and lifted it off of his head. Now shirtless, you used every ounce of willpower to keep yourself from oogling him, but damn, he was fit.

“And you? How are you doing?” you asked, wrapping the cuff around his right upper arm, lining up the arrow on the cuff itself to where his brachial artery should run. “This will just hug you tightly for a bit.”

He nodded, glancing at your hands as they worked before looking at your face. “I am well. I have been in Asgard, where I fought Malekeith and the Dark Elves.”

You inflated the cuff, keeping your stethoscope on his arm while also listening to his story.

“I lost Loki.” His face fell when he stated that, and your heart went out to him.

You got your blood pressure reading and removed the cuff from him. “I’m sorry to hear that.” You went over to the counter by the sink and wrote the value, which turned out a little high but within normal range. You then grabbed the thermometer.

“Why?” he chuckled, watching you with an amused expression on his face. “He was the cause of the Battle of New York.”

“Yes,” you agreed, running the probe over his forehead and down towards his right ear. 36.2 degrees centigrade. “But he was also your brother, right? I can’t imagine losing a sibling.”

“You have siblings?” he questioned as you cleaned off the thermometer with an alcohol wipe.

“Two. An older and a younger brother.”

“So you know the responsibility that comes with being older?” You felt his eyes on you as you lifted his arm into your hands, fingers pressing lightly over his radial artery. “What is it you are doing?”

“Taking your pulse,” you explained, trying to ignore how close you were to the man as you lifted your other arm to look at your watch. “I do. Both were rather immature until a certain age. A lot of the time, it felt like I was the one born first.”

Thor’s boisterous laugh filled the space, and you glanced up at him, unable to help the upward curve of your lips.

“Siblings can be handfuls,” he sighed a few moments later, shaking his head.

“But we love them regardless,” you added, eyes now on his chest, counting each rise and fall as one breath.

“Yes, that is true…” he trailed off, tilting his head to the side. “Why do you stare so intently?”

A full-blown blush overcame your cheeks, but you kept your eyes on his torso because you’d be damned if you lost count and had to do this all over again. “I’m looking at your breathing.”

“Oh…” Was it you or did he sound slightly disappointed?

All was silent for the next few seconds as you moved away from him, relinquishing your touch, as you went over to his file to write down the rest of his vitals. The tech had already gotten his height and weight for you, so all that was left was drawing a sample of blood for lab work.

You washed your hands, dried them off with a paper towel, and then slipped on two latex-free gloves as you turned to look at Thor again.

“Have you ever had your blood drawn before?”

He blinked at your question before replying, “Stark or Banner might have once or twice. Why?”

You opened a drawer to your right and pulled out a few vials along with a needle. “Well, you’re due for your annual check, so I’m going to have to take a few samples.”

Thor fidgeted in his seat, eyes on the needle in your hand. “Of course. I will not stop you from doing what you must.”

You held back a snicker because you couldn’t believe that the God of Thunder had a fear of needles. Still, it would have been rude to laugh at him, and it was a perfectly normal thing to be afraid of.

“Why don’t you tell me about your fight with…uh…” you tried your best to remember the name he had uttered earlier. It started with an “M”, but you knew you would butcher it if you tried. “Was it the Dark Elves?”

Thor’s disposition visibly brightened as you took his arm in your hands again, cleaning off the area above the vein you were going to insert the needle into.

“Well, it was my grandfather that originally fought Malekieth and his army of Dark Elves…” he began as you quickly put the needle into his arm. He did not even flinch, thank goodness, and you listened intently as he retold the tale, filling the vials you needed to.

“Then, I spent the morning with Jane before heading back to Asgard to talk with my father.”

Your chest tightened at the mention of Jane. You knew Thor had a girlfriend, but you also knew of your attraction to the god. It was no wonder that you would feel a little jealous. It wasn’t like you were falling hard for the guy or anything like that.

“Aren’t you going to take my blood?” Thor suddenly asked, breaking you from your thoughts, and, this time, you couldn’t keep the laughter back. “What is it?”

“I already did,” you stated, gesturing towards the counter where five vials of dark red liquid lay. You removed your gloves, depositing them in the trash can next to you.

“How did I miss that?” he asked, getting up from the table quickly. His feet nearly tripped under his weight, and you moved swiftly to steady him.

“Careful. You shouldn’t get up that fast…” you said, gently pressing against his chest to have him sit back down. “You were so focused on talking about your fight that you didn’t even notice what I was doing.”

This time, it was Thor’s turn to laugh as he placed a hand on your shoulder. “Thank you, Y/N. I appreciate it.”

You gave him a small smile. “You’re welcome. Now, I’m going to get going, and Helen is going to come in and talk with you a bit.”

Your patient frowned. “Then, this is goodbye?”

“For now, yes.” You pressed your lips together, not really wanting to leave Thor either. You were having a good time talking with him. In fact, this time with him was a lot better than most of the dates your friends have been setting you up on as of late.

“Will you be at Stark’s party this evening?”

Well, originally, no. Stark had invited you to parties before, and after your first one, you didn’t really see a need to keep going. You always had a terrible time, taking your usual position as wallflower because you knew absolutely no one at most of these functions. But, if Thor was going to be there, maybe this one was worth attending?

“I was invited…” you said, looking down.

“But you declined?”

The sadness in his voice made that earlier feeling, the one you had experienced when he mentioned Jane, return, except it was slightly tweaked; it was not as intense.

“I didn’t give an answer to Tony, but I’m free tonight…” You bit your bottom lip as you met his gaze.

“So you will come, then?” He perked up at the possibility, his shoulders getting out of their slump.

You nodded. “I’ll be there.”

“Great! Then, I will see you later,” he chuckled, his blue eyes sparkling with mirth.

“Until later,” you said, eyes on him as you made your way to the door of the small room. Doing so nearly had you knocking over the sharps bin, but you managed to avoid it and keep your composure in front of Thor.

* * *

You were back at your apartment around six-thirty, and the party was going to start at nine, luckily. It gave you enough time to grab a small bowl of cereal, take a shower at a leisurely pace, and change your outfit five times.

Now, usually, you cared a bit about your appearance, wanting to make good first impressions and all that, but this was getting a bit ridiculous. You were just going to one of Tony’s parties, and it wasn’t even a crazy one, considering he invited a lot of his colleagues from S.H.I.E.L.D. Why was this such a big deal for you?

Eventually, you did settle on a wine red, off-the-shoulder cocktail dress. It was slimming, hugging your body in a flattering way, and was sophisticated. It was the most adult dress you owned, considering your closet was comprised of clothes mostly from your college days. The only thing you were a little self-conscious about was the low cut in fabric that revealed a bit of the skin between your breasts.

But there was nothing else to wear, and you did have matching heels so…you left your apartment in it, covered by a dark peacoat that your mother had bought you this passed Christmas. You managed to get a taxi pretty quickly, and traffic wasn’t too bad; you arrived a few minutes late, but no one seemed to notice.

“Y/N,” Tony was the first to welcome you, playing the ever doting host. “Glad you could come.” He wrapped an arm around your shoulders as he took the jacket you held between your hands and gave it to one of the servants to hang up for you. “Point Break has been asking about you nonstop. I told him you were in grad school; hope you don’t mind.”

“I don’t,” you shook your head, still processing who Point Break could be. And what Tony had said to him wasn’t a lie; you were going for your PhD in Nursing.

“Can I get you a drink? Romanoff’s at the bar, currently.”

You had met Agent Romanoff a number of times, and while she could come off a bit intimidating and uncaring, she had been nothing but nice to you. You wouldn’t mind spending some of the evening with her, but the main reason you had come was, well, Thor.

However, a drink might help loosening up around him.

“A drink would be nice. What’s her specialty?” you asked as Tony led you over to the dimly lit bar, weaving through the crowd of guests.

“I don’t know, actually. You’ll have to ask her.” He stopped, eyes moving from you to someone else in the room. “Excuse me, Y/N. I have to go greet another guest.”

“Okay.” You nodded, giving him a small smile before he left your side. You made the rest of the trek over to the bar, sliding into one of the barstools.

“Hey, Y/N.” Natasha’s red lips curved upwards as she leaned against the counter. “You’re looking great! New dress?”

You glanced down at your outfit, happy she complimented it. Natasha always had good taste, so impressing her was a major ego boost. “No, actually. I wore this to one of my friend’s weddings.”

“Very nice. Suits you,” she stated, straightening. “Now, did you come over here to just chat or can I offer you a drink, too?”

“I’ll take that drink, if you don’t mind.” You folded your arms, leaning on them.

“Anything in particular?” She lifted a brow as she reached below the bar for something you could not yet see.

“Surprise me.” You shrugged. You weren’t a big drinker anyway.

Natasha smiled, pulling a margarita glass out from the bar’s cabinet. She pulled a few different bottles from the shelves behind her, mixing them together in a stainless steel bottle. She then poured out the mixture into the glass, sliding it towards you. “Enjoy.”

“Thanks, Natasha,” you said, lifting the drink with one hand and bringing it to your lips to take a sip. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Bruce on his way over, and not wanting to be a third wheel–it was obvious something was going on between the two–you got up from your seat.

“Thor’s over by the windows.” Natasha gestured to the exact spot with a nod just before you got up.

Your eyes moved to the sharply dressed man talking enthusiastically to a group of older veterans that had been invited to the party and Steve. He looked amazing in the black jacket, and his blonde hair was down, as usual, but in a loose ponytail.

You were about to turn to ask Natasha how she knew you were looking for him, but Bruce was chatting her up now, and you weren’t going to disturb them.

When you reached Thor, you heard him talking about some alcohol that had been aged thousands of years. That in itself was intriguing enough, but the fact that he warned against mortals drinking the stuff had your interest even more piqued.

“What does it taste like?” you interjected after he had poured a bit of the liquid into one of the elderly gentleman’s glass.

Thor shifted his feet slightly so that his back was no longer to you, and when his blue orbs landed on your face, a wide grin stretched across his. “I can offer a taste, but I think it is best that that is all you drink.”

You straightened your arm out, lifting the glass Natasha had given you to accept a few drops from his bottle. You then brought your red lips to the rim, taking a small bit into your mouth and let a few moments pass before you swallowed it. The burn was harsh down your throat, like you had ingested a ring of fire, and it was hard to keep yourself from screwing your face up in disgust.

Thor’s body shook next to yours, his laugh echoing around you as he placed his large hand on your shoulder farthest from him. “I told you, but I will not deny the lady more if she wishes for it.”

You shook your head, waving the idea off. “I think that it’s not really something I’d like more of.” You put your glass down on the surface next to you.

“Come, then, my friends were going to tell me the story of this battle. Was it Omaha Beach that you mentioned?” Thor brought you to a couch, having you sit next to him, as one of the veterans began to speak about his time as a soldier in World War II. Steve stuck around for a bit longer, sometimes inserting his own recollections into the story, but he soon excused himself and headed towards the bar.

You stayed with Thor for the rest of the night, and as the party dwindled down, the rest of the Avengers, including Maria Hill, joined the two of you.

The conversation was now on Thor’s hammer, which was resting on the coffee table in front of you.

“But it’s a trick!” Clint exclaimed, spinning a drumstick around his fingers.

From beside you, Thor chuckled, leaning forward and handing Steve his empty soda can. “No. No. It’s much more than that.”

“Ah whoever be worthy shall haveth the power!” Clint teased in a deep voice, gesturing with his hands to the massive tool. “Whatever man. It’s a trick!”

Thor relaxed into the couch beside you as you watched the exchange. He pointed to Mjolnir. “Please, be my guest.”

Everyone looked at one another, Hawkeye hesitating as his eyes shot from one Avenger to the other.

“Come on.”

“Really?” Clint asked, his eyebrows high on his forehead.

“Yeah.” Thor nodded, bringing up a hand to stroke his beard as Clint got up from his seat and walked over to the hammer.

“Oh, this is going to be beautiful,” Rhodey snickered, looking to Tony, who was quick to make a sexual joke. Despite yourself, you joined in the laughter that ensued.

“You know I’ve seen this before, right?” Clint said to Thor, who just smiled at him, bemused. Clint wrapped his hand around the handle, grunting as he attempted to lift it with the strength of one arm. After a few moments, he gave up. “I still don’t know how you do it!” He chuckled, a bit embarrassed.

“Smell the silent judgement?” Tony muttered, and Clint pointed a finger at him. “Please, Stark, by all means.”

Tony’s brow rose as he got up from his seat, making his way over to take Clint’s place. He walked with confidence, but there was a smug smirk on his lips. “Never one to shrink from an honest challenge.” He wrapped all ten digits around the handle. “It’s physics.”

“Physics,” someone agreed.

“Right, so if I lift it, I then rule Asgard?” The question was directed at Thor, and you were shocked when he agreed, nodding his head as if it was no big deal.

“I will be reinstituting Prima Nocta,” Tony announced, readying his stance.

You bent forward, elbows resting on your right knee as you crossed your legs and watched.

He tried moving it once, one foot on top of the table for leverage, before he stopped, taking less time than Clint, and stated, “I’ll be right back.”

You glanced sideways at Thor, one corner of your mouth lifting, and he just smiled back, obviously enjoying the show even more than you were.

True to his word, Tony returned with part of his armor on, just covering the lower half of her arm. He tried again, this time using only his left hand. When that didn’t work, Rhodey joined him, also wearing part of his armor. Both men, with combined strength, were unable to even make the hammer budge.

Bruce was next, having no issue with standing on the table for leverage, as he, rather loudly, attempted to pull Mjolnir into the air. Many of you were holding back your giggles at his dramatics, and, when he, too, failed, Steve got up from the otherside of Thor and decided to try for himself.

Thor, not seeming the least bit concerned, took a sip from his glass before putting it back down to watch the next challenger.

Steve stepped up to the hammer, encircled both hands around its handle, and pulled up with all his might. All watched, except you, who happened to notice, out of the corner of your eye, Thor’s smile drop from his face completely. You were about to ask what was wrong, but Steve’s turn was over; Natasha was then asked to try.

When she said no, everyone’s eyes were on you.

“Me?” You placed your fingers against your chest. Some of the strongest men in the room couldn’t lift that thing. How were you going to do it? Still, none of the ladies in the room had tried, and you had nothing to lose.

“Yes! You got this, Y/N!” Clint cheered, sitting up as you stood, smoothing out the skirt of your dress. You felt Thor’s intense gaze on you as you took a few steps closer to Mjolnir.

“I don’t think I’m worthy, but I’ll give it a try,” you stated, moving both hands around the handle. You adjusted your grip for a moment before pulling with all your strength.

How did you know that that would be a mistake?

You fell backwards onto your bum, groaning softly from the impact. You opened your eyes to see many shocked faces, Thor’s among them.

“What?” you asked, following their gaze, horrified to find that it was focused on the area separating your legs, only to find that their attention was on the hammer that now rested between them. “Did I lift it?”

“It seems that you have, Y/N.” Thor stated, his expression becoming stoic.

“So…does she rule Asgard?” Tony asked from his seat, looking to Thor.

“No, of course not,” Clint blurted out before Thor could even separate his lips to respond. “It just means she’s worthy. Thor’s the crown prince.”

“Thor?” You peered up at him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Why were you able to move Mjolnir?

Suddenly, a loud-pitched noise came over the loudspeakers, having you all cringe.

“Worthy…No…” the word was drawn out and said in a voice unfamiliar to all of you. You all looked to the source, finding, what looked like to you, a very dismembered iron man suit.

“How could you be worthy?” the thing asked, looking at the lot of you. “You’re all killers.”

“Stark?” the seriousness of Steve’s voice caused dread to harden in the bottom of your stomach, weighing you down like a rock.

Tony’s worried tone worsened the feeling. “Jarvis?”

“I’m sorry I was asleep…or…I was a dream,” the robot spoke again.

Tony continued to speak to Jarvis, asking him to reboot, but nothing was changing. Your heartbeat quickened as you looked from Thor to Tony to Steve to the defective suit.

“There was this…terrible noise…” the intruder held his head. “And I was tangled in…in…” he looked down at himself, and for a moment, you thought he was going to fall, but he caught himself. “Strings. Had to kill the other guy. He was good guy.”

You sucked in a sharp breath as Steve asked the question that was on everybody’s mind. “You killed someone?”

“Wouldn’t have been my first call…but…down in the real world, we’re faced with ugly choices.”

“Who sent you?” Thor asked, sharp stare on the robot as he offered you a hand. You took it, keeping his hammer in your other palm as he pulled you up to your feet, bringing you flush against him.

Then Tony’s voice filled the room. It wasn’t him, but a recording. “I see a suit of armor around the world.”

Everyone looked to the genius, and you summoned up the courage to ask, “W-what does that mean?”

“Ultron,” Bruce answered, although it didn’t really help you any. You had never heard of an ‘Ultron’.

“In the flesh,” the defective suit spoke before correcting himself. “Or–no–not yet. Not this…chrysalis…” he examined his metal body again. “But I’m ready…”

As he said this, you heard the click of Maria loading her gun, and Thor’s fingers were wrapped around the ones you had on Mjolnir.

“I’m on a mission,” Ultron continued.

“What mission?” Natasha questioned as Maria slowly stood, and you were beginning to understand that a fight was just a moment away…

“Peace in our time.” As Ultron said this, two robots broke through the wall behind him, immediately attacking the group of you.

Thor pushed you behind him, taking the hammer from your grasp. He brought his arm forward, hitting one of the suits of metal that had gone straight for him. The robot was not prepared for the hit and went flying back, crashing into the bar. Thor didn’t give him a second’s rest, flying into the air after him as the room erupted into chaos.

All you could do was get out of their way, hiding behind the couch as you thought of something to do. You weren’t a fighter, never was, but you could take care of yourself.

And so you did, eventually sneaking out of the room to rush down the hall to the infirmary. You were going to need some supplies, and while you were confident victory was on the Avenger’s side, it didn’t mean there wasn’t going to be a price for it.

This was your way of helping.

By the time you stocked up on bandages, antiseptic, and the proper equipment needed to complete stitches, the place had gone silent save the loud pounding of your heart. You rushed out of the supply room, making a left outside the infirmary.

“Y/N?” you could hear Thor’s booming voice calling for you frantically. “Y/N?!”

Tony’s joined in, followed by Steve’s and Natasha’s.

“I’m here!” you answered, entering the room that had been turned into a battleground. Everyone looked relieved, but Thor was the first one to rush over to you, bringing you into a bone-crushing hug.

“Are you alright?” he asked, pulling back moments later, his eyes studying your form.

You blinked, a bit surprised by how much he cared. “I-I’m fine, I just–”

“Thank god, Y/N,” your boss cut you off, moving over to both you and Thor and taking some items from you. “Do you mind helping Rhodey first? He went through a window.”

You nodded at Helen before hastening over to the man in question. He was sporting many superficial cuts, and you could already tell that his arm was dislocated. You warned him before you fixed his arm that it would hurt, and he would still need to see Helen about its progress. You then wiped up his cuts, taking some pieces of glass from them.

Luckily, that was the worst of the injuries. With Helen helping you, you finished attending to everyone within a half hour.

Thor was your last patient, having sustained very little, but he was uncharacteristically quiet, just staring at you intently as you cleaned up a cut on the side of his face. When you were done, you put some space between the two of you, your cheeks warming slightly.

“Y/N?”

You turned to see Tony standing in the doorway. “I got a cab for you.” He was holding your jacket.

It was then that it hit you. You would have to spend the rest of the night home, alone, and yes; you did that every night. However, after what just happened… “Oh, okay.” You tried your best to steady your voice as you looked back at Thor, offering him a kind smile. “I better get going.”

You nearly jumped when he wrapped his hand about your wrist, the appendage looking tiny in comparison to his thick fingers. “You are shaking.”

“I’ll be fine, Thor, really. I’m a big girl,” you chuckled, trying to brush off his worry. You didn’t want to be a burden on him or Tony in any way.

“I know,” he nodded, his lips curving into a fond smile. “But I would feel better if you spent the night here.” Before you could answer, he lifted his gaze over your head. “Stark, she will stay here for tonight.”

The genius just shrugged. “I’m sure she can borrow something of Natasha’s to wear, and I have plenty of room.”

“See? It is no trouble,” Thor said, his sky blue eyes back on yours.

“It really isn’t.” Natasha walked up to the two of you, placing a hand on your shoulder. “I have some pajamas you can borrow. Nothing fancy, but it’ll do.”

“Thanks, Natasha, really. I appreciate it…And thank you, too, Tony.”

“It’s no problem.”

“Let’s go.” Natasha nodded towards the door to the room.

“Okay.” You glanced over at the God of Thunder. “Thanks, Thor. I’ll see you in the morning?”

A bit of his cheerful mood from earlier returned. “Yes. Goodnight, Y/N.”

“Goodnight.” You waved at him before moving to catch up with Natasha. On your way out, Tony gave you your jacket, gently patting you on the back as a sign of appreciation.

You didn’t sleep all too well that night, but it was better than going home and cowering in bed until morning. Still, it would be a lie to say you were only a bit disappointed that Thor was not around the next day.


	3. To Love a King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you meet Thor for the first time, he’s a happy-go-lucky hero in need of your help, but as more chance meetings happen and a relationship begins to blossom between the two of you, you begin to realize that there is a lot more to this amazing man than meets the eye.

“…and Mr. Lee in room 130 has been having some bowel issues. I got him up to the bathroom a few times, but I’m worried about how loose his stools are.”

You considered the nurse’s words, nodding your head as you looked over his chart. “Alright…I’ll have a stool culture ordered again. If it smells as bad as you’re suggesting, I want to make sure he doesn’t have C diff.” You shook your head with a sigh, handing her the manila folder and leaning back in the chair. “Until then, just as a precautionary measure, I want everyone wearing gloves when entering that room. I can’t put him on full contact precautions without a confirmed diagnosis.”

“Makes sense,” the nurse, Victoria, said, getting up from her chair. “Anything else?”

“No.” You chewed on your bottom lip, crossing your legs as you went over a few things in your mind.

“Well, then, get going. Don’t you have a date with Georgina’s son tonight?” Victoria asked, putting away Mr. Lee’s chart and pulling out another one from the cart.

“I do…” You got to your feet, placing your pen in your lab coat pocket. “It’s our third date, actually.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” You shrugged your shoulders, lifting your arms from your sides for a moment before letting them fall back to place.

Victoria fixed you with one of the stares she usually reserved for a client or family member that was feeding her bullshit. A light, partially penciled brow was arched as she pursed her lips. “Liar. At this stage in the game, you’d be floating on air.”

“And who says I’m not?” you asked, coming to stand beside her, arms crossed over your chest.

“I do. I can tell just by looking at you that you’re not crazy about him, just like you weren’t crazy about Jeremy or Kevin or Peter or…”

“Okay. Okay.” You stopped her by lifting up a hand. You didn’t need everyone on the floor to know your history. “What’s your point?”

“Don’t lead the poor guy on, and take some time off dating. It’s clear you’re not over something or someone in your past.”

“You would have made a much better psych nurse. You know that, Victoria?” A chuckle escaped your lips as you turned your back on her and made your way towards the break room. You punched in the code, your left five digits wrapped around the door handle.

“Yes, but I like where I am now.”

“Oh? And why’s that?” You glanced over at her, using your foot to keep the heavy door open.

“Because you’re my boss.” She winked at you before heading over to one of her assigned patient rooms.

You grinned stupidly at her comment, and your steps became lighter as you grabbed your work bag and jacket before heading out of the unit and down to the lobby. Once out in the late afternoon air, you relaxed some. It had been a long day, and, honestly, the last thing you wanted to do was go on another date with a guy you knew you weren’t ever going to be serious about.

Such a shame, too. He was basically the perfect package: good-looking, smart, a gentleman, looking to settle down, makes decent money, has future plans…

But he’s not Thor.

You mentally scolded yourself for that comment because you really shouldn’t have been comparing a mortal man who worked with a banking company to an Avenger/god. Plus, you hardly knew Thor. You met him only twice before, so your feelings for him were completely founded in physical attraction.

It was superficial, so why hadn’t you gotten over him yet? It’s been two years, for heaven’s sake!

It must have been the thousandth sigh that left your lips that day, but this one didn’t help you any. Maybe Victoria was right…Maybe you should step out of the dating scene for a while, just until you moved on.

You pulled out your phone, unlocked it, and found Nick’s contact information. You called his cell number, placing your smartphone to your ear as you descended the stairs outside the hospital building to the sidewalk.

“Hello?” Came out in a friendly baritone two rings later.

“Nick?”

“Yes?”

“Hi. This is Y/N.” God, this was really hard. Always was, and you were pretty sure it would never get easier. “Listen, about our date tonight…”

“You want to cancel.”

His voice was laden with disappointment, and, in that moment, you wished you still didn’t carry a torch for Thor. You could have seen a future with Nick; if you liked him as much as he liked you, the two of you probably would have gone the distance.

“Yeah…I’m really sorry. I just am not in the right state of mind for anything serious right now…” you scoffed, waving down a taxi. “I really wish I was.”

“…I do, too. But, if you ever do feel you’re ready for something more, you have my number.”

“You’d be the first guy I’d call.” You tried offering some comfort with that statement because, really, Nick deserved it. He had been nothing but sweet to you.

His chuckle was half-hearted, but he genuinely thanked you anyway before you both bid each other goodbye and hung up.

You closed the door of the yellow cab, telling the driver your home address before sitting back against the seat. You looked from your phone to the city outside your window. A particular tower caught your attention, one you had spent a lot of time in just a few years ago. It was the last place you saw Thor, and you couldn’t help but wonder what he was up to now.

The Avengers was on its way to destruction; the cracks were plain to see even during the events of Sokovia. Tony and Steve never saw eye-to-eye, and since no one really took an official leadership position after S.H.I.E.L.D. left the picture, the two most likely in the group were constantly butting heads while the rest of the members watched on, picking their own sides. Because of the drama and without a solid organization like S.H.I.E.L.D. to be your employer, you decided it was time to move on.

Of course, you only moved passed your time with the Avengers. Not with Thor. Perhaps, if you had had the chance to say goodbye, things would be different now.

Dwelling on the possibilities and what ifs made you choke up, so you forced yourself to think of less heavy things, such as dinner plans for this evening now that you weren’t going out and the list of things you had to do this coming weekend. Groceries, laundry, bills…The menial tasks.

Occupied by such things, transit time sped by, and before you knew it, you were in front of your building and handing the cab driver a couple of bills. You thanked him before heading up the stone stairs to the front door, and you were in the middle of opening it when you heard someone calling your name.

“Y/N!”

You froze at the deepness of the voice, knowing its owner almost immediately. You turned your head towards the direction your name had carried from, eyes widening as you took in the sight of both Thor and Loki, in street clothes no less. Although, the new garb did nothing to help either of them blend in. Thor was in jeans and a sweatshirt, but his long blonde locks were unmistakable. And Loki wore a pitch-black suit, his dark curls free from any bindings as he watched his brother come over to you.

“Thor?” You let go of the door handle, descending a few steps as a smile stretched across your face. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m looking for my father, Odin,” Thor replied, stopping on the sidewalk in front of your building. He pointed his umbrella at you. “Did you just come home?”

“Yes. I was working, but if you two need help…” you glanced at Loki, still a bit wary of him, before looking Thor in his beautiful blue eyes, “I would love to offer my services.”

And that was how you ended up here. The death of the king of Asgard, a long lost sister (that you knew about from mythology by the way), and a whole other realm away.

God, you hoped you would still have your job after this. When you agreed to help Thor find his father, you didn’t think it would take more than a couple of hours. Yet, here you were, months later in one of the most degrading outfits you had ever had the displeasure of wearing.

You honestly felt like princess Leia, with just a thin, gold-colored bra to cover your chest and a long skirt, in a similar fabric, that started at your hips and went down to your ankles. You’d think such a garment would offer some coverage, but, nope, both sides of the skirt had slits up to the waistband.

The Grandmaster had also insisted that your neck be exposed as well as your feet, so shoes and having your hair down was not allowed when you were in his presence. He also gifted you with gaudy, poorly made jewelry, such as large hoop earrings and a multitude of bracelets.

You spent most of your time with, surprisingly, Loki, with no hide or hair of Thor. It was disgusting watching the God of Mischief kiss up to the Grandmaster, but you couldn’t say you were doing much better. You remained mostly silent, deciding to pretend you were mute, when they first found you among the garbage.

You really didn’t know how you managed to avoid the orgy parties, but Loki had been kind enough to make up excuses for you. Although, there were a few times that you showed you outright refused to be involved in such behavior, especially with The Grandmaster, of all people.

Still, he was the least of your concerns. Bruce was on this planet, and had been for a while, long before you and Loki showed up. However, he was not himself. He was constantly in his Hulk form and was quite childish. He was the Grandmaster’s champion, and you had seen him in action; he was completely taken by the crowd. Hence, him being fine with staying here and obeying the Grandmaster.

Your other concern, which consumed most of your days, was Thor. Had Hela killed him? You hadn’t seen him anywhere on this miserable planet, and Loki had not gotten word from him either. The thought of him being dead was too much to bear, but you soon accepted that maybe that was what had happened. Why else would he not come for you or Loki?

“Mute! Drink!”

The Grandmaster’s voice broke through your thoughts, and you realized that he had been referring to you. The nickname, Mute, was given to you when you refused to give your actual name, and it stuck, unfortunately. Even Loki would call you by the name.

You moved from your spot, standing beside him, and poured some of the dark liquid from the pitcher you held into his gold gauntlet. He lifted his other hand to tell you to stop, and you did as he asked, moving back to your spot.

“Are you excited for this match, Mute?”

You nodded your head, suppressing the urge to roll your eyes. These competitions were getting rather mundane, considering you could always predict the outcome. If any contender even got close to defeating the Hulk, the Grandmaster would cheat.

“This one should be very interesting…” he smirked, sitting back in his seat as his giant hologram began to rile up the crowd.

You glanced at Loki, who sat across the box, leaning forward on his knees, elbows resting on them as he watched the challenger’s side intently. You wondered why he seemed so genuinely interested in this one; he usually only feigned enthusiasm.

Your gaze followed his to the contender’s door, seeing that it was now fully open. A small gasp blew passed your lips, and you brought up a hand to suppress anymore noise from your gaping mouth.

It was Thor. Even from all the way up above the colosseum, you knew it was him. Thor’s broad shoulders were unmistakable, and his muscular build was a dead give away. You had never seen anyone as big in stature as the God of Thunder.

But could he defeat the Hulk? Maybe, if it was a fair fight, but he wasn’t just dealing with the green mutant; he was dealing with the Grandmaster, who would not see his Champion lose.

You glanced at Loki again, and this time he caught you, nearly jumping when he saw your glare. He obviously knew that Thor was here, but he decided not to give you that tidbit of information. Why? Did he want his brother to be beaten to death?

What a stupid question. In the past, he would have done the honors, given the chance.

He would get an earful from you later.

Your attention turned back to the arena, where you saw Thor being booed relentlessly by the crowd. Above their negativity, the Grandmaster’s voice could be heard, announcing his champion.

You wondered how Thor would handle this. He did not know that he would be put up against a friend, but, somewhere in the Hulk, you knew Banner was there. Surely, he would recognize the Asgardian god, but then what? What would the Grandmaster do if his champion refused to fight?

Well–your eyes flickered to the Grandmaster for a moment before returning to the arena–you would soon find out.

The door that Hulk resided behind was torn to shreds as he entered the arena, his roar filling the air as he lifted his powerful arms. The war cry was followed by a shout of joy from the challenger, something no one was used to hearing.

You cracked a smile. Only Thor.

But your amusement was short lived as you watched the two converse. It was clear that the situation was escalating, but why? Didn’t Banner recognize Thor?

When Hulk rushed forward, his violent intent clear, you ran forward, placing your hands on the glass in front of you as you suppressed the urge to scream. You’ve seen what the Hulk could do, and even though Thor was his opponent, the Grandmaster would surely intervene if he got the upper hand.

This could only ever end one way.

Thor dodged his first attack, rolling to the side before bouncing to his feet. You bit your bottom lip, wincing from both the pain and how hard Thor was hit by the Hulk’s gigantic hammer. He skid across the ground, digging his weapon into the ground to eventually stop himself from flying further.

They then exchanged blows, Thor using twin blades, and Hulk still utilizing his supersized tools. You watched, holding your breath and nearly crying out when you saw Thor thrown into the colosseum wall, rock crumbling around him. He recovered, hitting his opponent back with a force much stronger, sending the green mutant through the colosseum wall.

The crowd went silent, and your heart stopped. As much as you worried for Thor, you did not wish harm on Bruce. He had always been kind to you, always inclusive of you.

Thor seemed to be as concerned as you, heading over to where Hulk had landed. You saw Bruce move, dazed and unsteady. You watched with bated breath as Thor held out a hand to him, an offer of truce, and you hoped the Hulk would accept it. He watched the blond god as he carefully approached, reaching out a hand…

For a moment, your racing heart slowed, and you felt joy, realizing that this must be it. This must be the end of the fight.

But it wasn’t.

Within the blink of an eye, Thor was being thrown around, the Hulk smashing him against the ground repeatedly. No mortal man would have survived the first blow to the head, even with the armor Thor sported.

Cheers erupted from the crowd as you looked on, tears prickling at the corners of your eyes.

Thor was sent flying, crashing to the ground with a horrible thud that you barely registered over the Hulk’s victorious roar. The spectators joined in, spurring him on, while the underdog got to his feet, now holding Hulk’s hammer.

The fight continued on, and it was a close one. There were times you were sure Thor would prevail, but then the Hulk would prove you wrong with a brutal attack. Eventually, it came down to just fists, no weapons, and when you saw him on top of the God of Thunder, repeatedly punching him, tears streamed down your face because you knew that had to hurt.

How could he bear it?

Then, just when you were about to give up completely, a bolt of lightening pushed the Champion off of his challenger. Now, it seemed Thor had the upper hand, and you had never seen such power before. He was a walking storm, each hit packing a punch that echoed like thunder.

The name being chanted from the stands switched. It was entertainment unlike any they had seen before. No one had given the Hulk such a hard time.

And that’s when the Grandmaster decided to do it.

In convulsions that made your own skin crawl to watch, Thor fell to the ground, and you couldn’t watch as the Champion took the opportunity and did what he did best: smash.

A sob escaped your throat as you turned from the glass. Almost immediately, you were in Loki’s arms, one of his palms on the back of your head, cradling it to his chest.

“Is he okay?” you whispered softly as the noise of victory died down.

“I can’t say, but I don’t think he’s dead,” Loki responded in a soft voice. “Not yet, anyways.”

Leisurely, deliberate claps reached your ears, and you lifted your head from under Loki’s chin to see the Grandmaster smirking at you. The expression on his face was enough to make you physically ill, but you held yourself back, pressing your lips together in a firm line.

“What a show, Mute,” he said, shaking his head as he stepped closer to you. “Were you really that taken with the Lord of Thunder?”

God. You wanted to correct him. God of Thunder. You clenched your fists.

“Well, I’ll be kind, then. Be grateful.” He laughed, folding his hands in front of him. “Since he and my champion are such good friends, I think I’ll allow them to be roommates. They can train together and give me more shows as good as this one. And, for providing such good entertainment, I’ll throw the Lord of Thunder a little bone…”

You narrowed your eyes at him, not sure you were following just what he intended to do with any of you, but you knew you didn’t have much of a choice.

“A bone?” Loki asked, a hint of malice in his tone as he tightened his hold on you.

* * *

“Why he no wake?”

You let out another sigh, reminding yourself to keep patient and calm, even if this was the twentieth time the Hulk had asked that question. “Because he was badly wounded, Hulk.”

“By me?” He almost seemed proud.

“Yes, by you,” you stated as you kept your eyes on Thor’s peaceful face. You moved carefully, so not to disturb him, as you dipped your cloth in a bowl of water the Grandmaster “oh so graciously” gifted to you. You wrung it out as best you could, keeping the lower half of your body still.

You had already examined most of Thor’s body earlier, looking for broken bones or any signs of internal bleeding. After the beating he went through, he should have had at least a few fractures, but there wasn’t a hint of swelling anywhere on his body, just a few minor cuts and bruises.

He really was a god.

“Why you hold him like that?”

Your cheeks flushed at the question. Why did the Hulk have to know why you were keeping Thor in your lap?

“It makes my job easier,” you answered. It wasn’t quite a lie. You could see a lot of his cuts closer up, and making sure you had cleaned them well enough was less difficult this way. “Plus, you won’t share your bed.”

Your green companion huffed at that, turning on the mattress to show you his back.

You shook your head at his childishness, wishing Banner would take over already. While Hulk did have his likeable moments, he had become quite the narcissist since becoming the Grandmaster’s Champion.

To say you were a little ticked off at him for treating Thor as an enemy was an understatement.

A groan from the person laying on your thighs made you still your hand, only gently dabbing at a particularly bad cut on his brow. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open only to be squeezed shut again as he lifted a palm to the top of his head. “Ow…”

“How are you feeling?” you asked, lowering the arm that was currently tending to his wound.

Thor opened his eyes again, gaze focusing on your face above his. “Y/N?”

“Yes?”

He shot up to a sitting position before groaning again, his body swaying slightly. You touched his shoulder, urging him to be more considerate of his condition.

Apparently, he was more concerned with your presence than his own well-being. He turned to face you completely, his legs crossed, blue orbs wide. “You ended up here, too?”

You nodded. “Loki arrived before me.”

“Wow…It is so good to see you!” he exclaimed, a boyish grin on his lips as he took in your appearance. “Are you okay? Did Loki look after you?” He paused, lifting an eyebrow. “Why are you dressed like that? That man…the Grandmaster? He didn’t lay a finger on you, did he? If he did, I swear to you, Y/N…”

You lifted your hands, attempting to calm him down. “I’m fine, Thor, really. Loki did watch over me…in his own way…And despite the get-up I am forced to wear, the Grandmaster has done nothing more than leer.” This knowledge seemed to placate the man before you, and he let out a heavy sigh, shoulders slumping.

His attention then shifted from you to the bowl and bloody rag next to it. “Were you caring for me?”

The way he phrased the question sent heat to your face, forcing you to bow your head. “Yes…Although, you did not need much first aid.”

“Regardless, I thank you for it.” He nodded, his calloused fingers brushing against your bare shoulder in a gesture of gratitude.

All was silent for a moment, save the Hulk’s snoring, until Thor parted his lips to speak again, his brows furrowed. “Your eyes are red. Were you crying?”

Slightly embarrassed that he had noticed, you chuckled nervously, still avoiding directly looking at him. “Oh…uh…I was at the match, and at the end, I thought you were, well…”

“Oh…You were watching the fight, then.” His baritone voice seemed flat. “It brings me great joy that you worried so much for me, but, as you can see, thanks to you, I am more than fine.”

“Yes. I seem to forget that you are a god.” You smile, trying not to dwell on his hand, which still rested on your left shoulder. It slid down to your palm, his fingers engulfing it as he brought your skin to his lips.

“Thank you, again. I seem to always find myself indebted to you.” His kiss lingered, and you knew you had to be red from head to toe because of it.

“It’s uh…no problem,” you replied, averting your gaze as his hands slipped from yours.

Thor got to his feet, turning as he took in his environment. “Where are we?”

“This is the Hulk’s room.” You stood, bending down to take the bowl of water from the floor. “He spends most of his time here or training.”

“I see…” he trailed off, heading towards the window. “Do you know how the Hulk got here?”

You met his gaze over his shoulder. “When I asked, he said he flew here.”

“Flew?” he whispered, mindful of the sleeping giant as he turned partially toward you, the sun illuminating the perplexed lines of his face. “How? He can’t fly.”

“I don’t know, honestly. I would assume the quinjet, but…” you shrugged, not quite confident in that assumption. You hadn’t thought to ask Hulk about it, and if it was on this planet, you weren’t sure it was in working conditions. Scavengers had probably dissembled most of it, selling or finding new use for its parts.

“That is very likely…” he said, falling silent as he looked over at Banner. He sighed after a few moments. “I’ll just ask when he wakes. We’ll need his help to escape.”

“He won’t want to,” you informed him, the corners of your mouth falling. “I already asked him if he would help me escape, but even when I begged, he absolutely refused to.”

“What? Why?” Thor’s brow knitted together.

“Well, I think he likes the attention he gets here. You’ve seen how they cheer for him in that coliseum.”

“I will talk to him,” Thor stated gravely, bringing a hand up to his face to stroke his beard. “We’ll need the help of the Valkyrie as well…”

“The Valkyrie?” Your face lit up like a Christmas tree, and you took a step closer to Thor. “They are here?”

He chuckled at your excitement. “One is. She’s actually the one that brought me here…But it won’t be easy to convince her…” His mood deflated as he said this. “She holds an immense amount of hatred towards me.”

“Why is that? From what I’ve read, they fight for Odin.” You shake your head, confused.

“They did…I don’t know what happened,” he exhaled, closing his eyes briefly. “This won’t be easy, but at least I have you on my side…” He trailed off, eyes narrowing as the focused on you.

Heat crawled up your neck as you withstood his intent stare, but it only got worse when he took long, deliberate strides to stand right before you, his hand lifting to touch the small, metal crater that was inserted into your skin. It matched his, and its purpose was no different. Should you act out, you would be punished.

You heard Thor’s sharp intake of breath, his lips pressing into a taut line. “Have they used this?” The tips of his digits caressed the skin near the obedience disk, causing you to unconsciously shiver. You prayed he didn’t notice.

“N-No…I haven’t given them a reason to.”

“Good.” His muscles relaxed, the severity of his expression disappearing some. “This complicates things. I have to find a way to get that off of you.” He withdrew his hand, backing away from you. “How long has he been asleep?”

“Huh? Oh…Hulk? He went to bed just before you woke up.” You blinked, cursing yourself internally for sounding like such a lovesick fool. You’d be beyond shocked if Thor didn’t know the effect he had on you and why.

“Shit…Okay. I’ll wait.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t want to get him any angrier.” He sat down by the window, resting his elbows on his knees. After a few seconds of silence, and you awkwardly standing after putting the bowl down on a table, Thor turned to you. “Come, sit. Tell me of your life since Ultron.”

You gave him a hint of a smile before moving to sit beside him, and he shifted in the seat to face you better. “What do you want to know?”

“Everything.”

* * *

Since the Battle of New York, whenever Loki showed up, you weren’t the happiest of campers. You could tolerate him, but you didn’t trust him as far as you could throw him; for good reason, too, because he did try to betray both you and Thor during your escape from Sakaar, just as the God of Thunder had anticipated.

Now, however, as you were attempting to defend yourself against an undead army, you were the happiest you had ever been to see the God of Mischief. You were never a fighter, and maybe with a safe place for the Asgardians, you could actually begin to help those injured.

Loki spotted you immediately, yelling to his people to board the ship before making his way over to you. Once he reached you, he grabbed you by the shoulders. “Thor has told me that you have the power to heal.”

“Well, in a way…” You were about to explain how you had no magical abilities, that your methods were entirely based on medical science, but you decided that now was probably not the time.

“Come.” He wrapped an arm around your torso, fighting his way back to the ship. “I have found a healer!” Loki announced loudly over the sounds of frantic citizens. They made a path for you, allowing you to get aboard the spaceship ahead of many.

As soon as Loki had declared you someone that could help, people were rushing forward with friends and family members, asking for your help. It was very had to do with very limited supplies, but luckily, many were willing to offer up parts of their clothing as bandages. Quite a few people also had jugs of water, similar to canteens, while others had filled them with some form of alcohol.

Despite help from many, you were one woman, and it was very difficult to keep up with the number of patients you were receiving, some far more wounded than others. You tried to prioritize, and it became clear that this was also quite the task. You could not see all your patients at once, so it was hard to determine who was more in need of care than another. You tried your best to recall your training, including the ABCs of prioritization: Airway, Breathing, Circulation.

Finally, a brave Asgardian offered up her services, followed by a few others. You quickly explained what you needed them to do, giving them those that came in with less complicated injuries. With more people helping you out, you moved onto those that were hurt fighting the undead. And, god, you had never seen so much blood…You didn’t typically deal with stab wounds or missing limbs on your unit of the hospital, but, with your knowledge of how the body worked, you knew what you had to do.

The sounds of agonizing screams as you cleaned deep lesions or bound gaping holes would haunt you in your sleep. You were sure of it. Without access to painkillers, it was very difficult to care for those in writhing pain. You would have given them alcohol, and some did ask for it, but you were reserving it for sterilization because it did better than water.

What really killed you, though, was when you were unable to save someone. Their loved ones would be circled around you, and with one look at the patient, you knew, even as an Asgardian, they would not survive. You still did your best, but by then, those around you would realize it, too.

You didn’t have time to mourn with them, to exercise proper family-centered care, as you were taught to do.

Tears would stream down your face as you moved to the next person that needed you, and it didn’t sit well with you. Your own heart would tighten because you didn’t deal with death often–you were in the business of preventing death–and it meant you failed. While the more rationale side of you knew that there was nothing you could have done, your emotions refused to listen.

It made it hard to concentrate, especially with the sounds of war right outside. At some point, thunder had joined the cacophony, and you wondered if Thor had been victorious against Hela. But the fighting would of stopped right? The steady stream of patients would have stopped. It didn’t. You were still overwhelmed.

Why didn’t it stop?

The ship began to move, and your head cleared enough for you to focus again. You had all the time in the world to freak out later.

More people rushed in–the last, you thought and hoped–and you quickly urged a man close to you. “Keep the pressure on his elbow, please!” He just nodded numbly as you got to your feet, shouting above the screams. “If anyone needs medical attention, please come to me!”

And then you were flooded again. More volunteers came forward.

“What is your name?” A man with dark skin and eyes unlike any you had seen came forward, lowering a woman to the ground before you.

“I am Y/N.” The words were hurried from your throat as you ripped some of the woman’s cloak to wrap around the gash on her shoulder. “Hold my hand,” you told her, and she nodded, wrapping her fingers about yours. She squeezed, hard, when you doused her wound with alcohol and then drenched it with water to, hopefully, deaden the alcohol’s effect.

“So you are the one he spoke of,” the man whispered, helping the woman to her feet after you had wrapped her injury. She leaned on him as he stared at you, studying your features. “You are the Midgardian that lifted Thor’s hammer.”

“You know about that?” you asked, a bit breathless as you ripped more of your skirt for bandages.

“Yes. I am Heimdell,” he introduced himself with a small smile. “On behalf of all the Asgardians, I thank you for your help.”

“It is no trouble,” you said before seeing to a man who had lost his arm in battle. On your way to him, shots rang out, and you froze, eyes darting to the man who held two guns, similar to those that you had on Earth. You turned to Heimdell. “We are leaving Asgard?”

“Yes. Thor has asked that we do.”

“But he is still fighting?”

Heimdell gave you a look, one that answered all the questions you had lined up in your head. Your chest constricted, making it impossible to breathe, but you ignored the feeling and marched over to the man that was in need of care.

If Thor died, he would not die in vain. You would save as many of his people as you possibly could.

But, as fate would have it, Thor was on the ship with Valkyrie and the Hulk minutes later, making a ruckus as he called for you. When he saw you, he did not hesitate to take you from whoever you had just finished tending to and bring you into his arms.

“You are well,” he said, chest heaving as he pulled you in closer. He smelled of sweat and blood, but you didn’t care. His hug calmed you in ways you did not understand; after just being through a war, something you had never experienced before, you were moments from falling apart.

You peered up at him, choking on whatever words you had for him when you saw…

“What the fuck happened to your eye!?”

And the blond bastard just let his head fall back, his one remaining eye squeezing closed, as his booming laugh filled your ears.

* * *

“There.” You took a step back, exhaling softly as you lowered your arm to your side. “I’ve never had to patch up an eye, but I suppose there is a first time for everything.”

“Yes. I suppose so.” Thor’s lips stretched into a grin, but something about it was fake. How could he smile in such times, when he had been through so much?

You stared at him for a moment, and, evidently, your scrutiny was too much for the god. “What?”

Moving to sit beside him on the bed, you took his hand in both of yours, peering at his face. “How are you?”

“What do you–?”

“This couldn’t have been easy for you. Hell, I’m still having trouble with everything that happened, but you’ve just been through a lot more than I have, Thor. You lost a father, you killed your sister, and your home has been reduced to space dust. And that’s just the main stuff.”

Thor chuckled lightly, but there was nothing cheerful about it. He put his other hand on top of yours, patting it gently. “All that happened, yes, but those are matters I don’t really have the energy to think about. What is really bothering me, is the role I must assume. I have people I have to take care of.”

You nodded, swallowing thickly as his blue eyes captured you, making you unable to look away.

“How do you do it?”

You leaned back in shock, not having expected him to ask you that, of all things. You scoffed, pulling away from him slightly. “I…Wow. Um…Thor, being a king and being a nurse are very different things.”

He shook his head, the wrinkles accompanying his laugh genuine this time. “You are wrong, Y/N. Your training, while not inclusive of the aspects of governing a country, does include the basic thing that a king must have.”

“And what is that?”

“Compassion.”

You giggled despite his seriousness. “Then why are you asking me what you already know?”

And for the first time since he met Valkyrie, you experienced a sight that set your heart aflame: Thor being embarrassed. He bowed his head with a tint of pink to his face. “I suppose you are right…”

“Thor.” You scooted closer to him, meeting his gaze. “You will make a fine king.”

The corners of his mouth lifted as he moved his dominant hand from yours to slowly brush your cheek with his knuckles. “Thank you. For everything. And I am sorry…So very sorry…”

Your breath caught in your throat as Thor sincerely apologized to you, and water blurred your vision of him. “Don’t apologize.” You begged. “Please.”

“Oh, Y/N…” You felt him touch the side of your face, fingers brushing the soft curve of it. “Do not cry.” His voice cracked as he said this.

“You know…” you sniffled, lifting a hand. “I just…I saw a bit what war is like today as well as its casualties…And despite the fact I should have been focused on what I was doing, maybe I would have saved a few more people…”

Thor hushed you, cupping your face in both his large hands, thumbs swiping away the drops that spilled down your skin. “You did more than enough. Asgard thanks you for it.”

“But…all I could think about was how much I didn’t want to lose you…” you sobbed, closing your eyes to avoid seeing his reaction to your confession. “And I know it’s selfish, but I don’t want to go back to Earth and just go on living like this never happened because I won’t be able to…”

Thor’s fingers stilled long before you finished speaking, and when all was silent, save your staggered breathing and the pounding of your blood organ against your chest wall, you felt warmth upon your tear-stained cheeks. Strong arms pulled you into a body that radiated heat, and supple lips brushed against yours.

“I won’t be able to, either.” The words were soft against your mouth as a palm came up to run along your temple. “I need you, too.”


End file.
